“Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.”
He led UCLA to 10 national championships.
The basketball teams he coached won 88 games in a row.
Colleges have been named after him, and the players who played under him cited him as a top influence in their lives. He’s been an in-demand speakers for many different prestigious organizations.
He’s worth paying attention to, not just as one of the most successful basketball coaches of all time, but as one of the most successful individuals of all time.
At age 99, coach John Wooden has passed recently passed on, but has left hundreds of lives changed by the mark of excellence he left on them.
His pyramid of success alone is worth printing out, viewing daily, and living by. Unfortunately, due to the constraints of this post, I am going to let you view that on your own. What I want to share with you is some of the success quotes and self help motivation maxims he has left for those of us who continue on the journey of success and personal excellence. (All success quotes shared in this article are directly from coach John Wooden)
Self Help Motivation Maxim #1: Be True To Yourself
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”
Once you have determined your personal core values, it’s vital that you live in line with those values to the best of your ability. The more integrity you have, the more confidence you will eminate, and the more others will trust you and want to do business with you.
Self Help Motivation Maxim #2: Make Each Day Your Masterpiece
“Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of being.”
“It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen. “
Dedicate yourself to the practice of CANI, as Tony Robbins terms it. Constant and never-ending improvement. It’s so true that the little things make the biggest difference over the long haul. There is no such thing as overnight success. You may not think that your personal circle of influence is that significant, but it makes all the difference. By making each day a masterpiece, you are increasing your chances of getting lucky.
Self Help Motivation Maxim #3: Help Others
“You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.”
Some of the greatest leaders in business and in life are the ones who value and respect those around them. What are your beliefs and attitudes toward people? Do you understand that there are good and bad qualities in everyone, but do you aspire to believe the best about them? The more that you can practice true service toward others, the more you will be setting yourself apart from masses of others who only care about what’s in life for themselves.
Self Help Motivation Maxim #4: Drink Deeply From Good Books, Especially the Bible
“Five years from now, you’re the same person except for the people you’ve met and the books you’ve read.”
What are you feeding your brain? (By the way, feel free to stop by my own Feed the Brain, where I have put together some of my best reading from across the internet). Are you reading some of the classic self-help books of all time?Here are some favorite books of mine that have taken me to where I am: today:
The Psychology of Achievement: Develop the Top Achiever’s Mindset
Awaken the Giant Within : How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny!
How to Find Your Mission in Life
What are you currently reading? Do you have a personal development plan in place for consistent reading and studying?
Self Help Motivation Maxim #5: Make Friendship A Fine Art
“The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.”
“Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.”
You can achieve all sorts of material success, but it’s the relationships you nurture that go way beyond success to significance. For some more tips on making friends, check out this article at my other personal development blog, written by Celestine Chua. And for maintaining those friendships, I recommend that you stop by Mike King’s blog, Learn This, for more great relationship tips.
Self Help Motivation Maxim #6: Build A Shelter Against A Rainy Day
“Ability is a poor man’s wealth.”
“Failing to plan is planning to fail.”
Your natural talents, strengths, and abilities are your best resources. If you don’t believe me, check out Jay Abraham’s book, Getting Everything You Can Out of All You’ve Got: 21 Ways You Can Out-Think, Out-Perform, and Out-Earn the Competition
Self Help Motivation Maxim #7: Pray For Guidance And Give Thanks For Your Blessings Every Day
“There are many things that are essential to arriving at true peace of mind, and one of the most important is faith, which cannot be acquired without prayer.”
“If we magnified blessings as much as we magnify disappointments, we would all be much happier.”
About Stephen Borgman
Hi Stephen, Great article and thanks for providing the link to John’s pyramid of greatness. I’ve seen it before but never in a format I could copy – which I did
Each of these points is so valuable, but the one I can most closely relate to at the moment is being true to yourself. When I started my blog last fall I thought I had a pretty good feel for what I wanted to do with it – but when I look at where I started vs where the blog and my focus is now I can see what an evolutionary process it’s been and a fascinating journey to learn what being ‘true to myself” really means on a day to day basis.
Thanks for the information and inspiration!
Marquita, I’m glad you enjoyed the article. And I’m glad you’re sharing your insights with us and the rest of the world through your blog
Twitter: jmpruitt75
says:
This is awesome. Love Helping others. Often I find that by helping others, I learn more about myself. When I have a problem that I want to solve, I help others with the same problem. This way we are both helped at the same time.
James, thank you for stopping by. There is a joy that comes from helping others. It is in giving that we receive, according to St. Francis.
What a lovely post, really Stephen.
I am about to call it a night and it was so nice to find your blog at the end of my day and go over each of the 7 Self Help Motivation Tips From John Wooden by you.
There is one that I don’t apply much. I’ll keep it a secret and I won’t give any clues lol
I have my ways of implementing what feels right to me that is giving me a different level of experiencing spirituality (maybe you guessed which one it was.
Keep on making a difference, I’d love to visit here again.
Much love, light and joy,
Sigal Zoldan
Clinical Hypnotherapist & Master Results Coach
http://blog.sigalzoldan.com
Sigal, thank you for your kind words and your honesty. I do hope you’ll come back from time to time
Steven,
I have certainly heard of John but never knew about his pyramid. I’ve saved it and printed it also for later study.
Actually, your entire post requires some additional thought and internalization. Powerful stuff.
RICK
Rick thanks for the encouragement. I agree: there’s a lot here to digest and implement on a daily basis.
Steven-
Great man, great truths! I too, like Rick never knew about his pyramid. And I am glad you shared it with us. So much to think and reflect on in your post. I especially love “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece” The importance of doing your best each and every day is something more people should incorporate into their thought patterns.
Thanks again for sharing.
Tony Tate
Tony, thank you very much. It’s true, that when we give ourselves 100% to doing our best each day, we feel great.
When we “intend” to make each day a masterpiece, we can look at our challenges [or problems] as a way for us to be extraordinary, i.e., not let ourself down by succumbing to fear, intimidation, or a give-up attitude.
I’m reminded of the tip to feel like you want to sign every accomplishment — and hide nothing.
THX, Stephen for sparking these thoughts.
Shari, thank you for stopping by. I read another blog this week, Positive Provocations. The author shared one of the best questions I have seen for making each day a masterpiece: ““What is the most empowering thing I can say or do right now?” If we ask and answer this question at the beginning of each day, and throughout the day, we will truly make each day a masterpiece.
Twitter: steveshoemaker
says:
Stephen great post man. I really like #4 and #7 these really resonate with me right now. I will have to look more closely at Mr. Wooten’s work have seen a lot of his quotes and such but never read his books I will have to change that.
Steve
Steve, thanks for stopping by. Coach Wooden was truly a humble and great individual. You’ll do well to read and apply his material.
Twitter: lynnjonesie
says:
Stephen, Wow, what a value packed article! I loved reading it. I have appreciated Jim Wooden’s life and inspiration and I enjoyed your inspiration just as much. Thank you for all the great quotes, (I love quotes), for the great motivational tips and for the wonderful recommended books that have helped you over the years. I am reading Brian Tracy’s Eat That Frog to help me establish clearly defined goals.
Thanks again Stephen for a power pack inspirational post.
Lynn
Twitter: vduplessie
says:
I am a sports fan and we can truly learn a lot from some of our great coaches. Their leadership is really what brings about the success of their teams. As we build businesses or teams in our lives it is important that we lead with the appreciation that people are different and we look for the similarities that bring us together for a common goal. A very good post with great reminders for the day. Thanks! VaNessa
VaNessa, thanks for the thoughtful comment. I agree about looking for similarities that bring us together. At the same time, we must be committed to truth in our lives, so that we may not always agree with others, even if we love and respect them.
What great “rules” to live by! He was an amazing man. I find it very interesting that he took God into the equation as well. Every one of these self-help tips could be coming straight from the Bible. Thanks also for the link to his pyramid. Great stuff!
Pastor Sherry, I agree with you! The Bible provides ultimate solutions for our deepest needs, so I am also glad to see it incorporated into Coach Wooden’s pyramid
Twitter: eldonbeard
says:
Hi Stephen, I have always had a great admiration and respect for Coach Wooden. He was not only an incredible coach, but a superb teacher and motivator as well. Like many who commented earlier, I was not aware of his “Pyramid of Success”. I’m printing it and keeping it on hand. Thanks!
Eldon, I’m glad you found the pyramid helpful
Really love the quote you have at the very top. I had this quote on my vision board by my desk many years ago. It really resonates well with how I structure my daily actives! =)
Baker, I’m glad you enjoyed it. Do you still have your vision board going?